LAST CHANCE GEESE?
BY SCOTT ROBINSON
Waterfowl hunters your season isn't over yet! But this may be the last chance to get a crack at those North trekking snow birds. You may wonder what I'm talking about; but as I sit here pining away on the computer my mind wanders to those wonderful, cackling, beautiful snow geese. I sit waiting patiently in my small northern Michigan cabin watching the snow pile up and it getting colder day by day, and I wait, I wait for the days to get longer, I wait for the sun to get brighter, and I wait for the bleakest bit of Spring to shine through to tell me once again, its time for me to migrate to the land of the snow birds.
This is our 5th year of hunting the spring snow geese and my 26th year of hunting waterfowl. But this year may be our last for the spring season. Laws have been rushed through Congress to allow us to hunt to this point and with any luck another bill will make it through for another 2 years; but if it doesn't the last years of hunting snows in the spring will long be remembered by many waterfowlers.
For those of you still in the dark, our fair legislature has helped the waterfowler, I know what you’re thinking, as well as the snow geese these last few years allowing us to hunt the majestic bird from the wilds of the tundra to the salt marshes of the Gulf of Mexico and back to their tundra nesting grounds. Due to over population the snow goose is in trouble and we are currently trying to help Mother Nature get things into check before she takes care of it herself. If over population continues, thousands of shore birds and waterfowl will continue to be adversely effected. Fish and Wildlife biologists are very concerned with so many birds breeding in such a concentrated area, and many suggestions have been put on the table to help curtail this dilemma. One of these options is to extend the snow goose hunting seasons and to open methods once used by "poachers" and market hunters. Hunters can now shoot one hour before sunrise and a half hour after sunset in some states, they can use electronic callers and there is no limit or plugged gun stipulations in many states. So it was born, a spring snow goose season, from Maryland to California and Quebec to Texas. Waterfowlers everywhere have been elected to help Mother Nature in her natural disaster, before it occurs. The hunting community has been elated with the opportunity of an extended season and all hope the day will never come for a closure of the special season; but that time may be emanate. Even with the huge success of hunters and guides everywhere the snow goose population continues on the rise, at my last read the population had increased another 4% from last year, and this spring is the last approved extended special season. Now, to most waterfowlers an increased waterfowl population is terrific news and it is rarely in the waterfowl world that anyone wants a stabilization or decrease in any waterfowl's population; but the snow goose is a bird of another color. If populations do not decrease the Fish and Wildlife Service may need to carry out such drastic measures as egg shaking, or large population destruction in refuge and nesting sites. All of which would cost a lot of money and may only initially curtail the problem. So this sportsman sits and waits to do his part once again this spring.
As I patiently wait looking for any signs of spring I spend my time hunting our giant local Canada geese and chasing bunnies and coyotes. Now don't get me wrong, these are great things to do and I love to be able to do anything outdoors; but it is still nothing in comparison to the site of the great white tornado. This site will leave you breathless, in awe, as you stare into what seems to be an endless stream of birds. The twist and turn and lock and drop and flip and flop of the white ones puts a wide smile on the face's of new and old. These birds can do everything a wood duck can do, at nearly the same speed if they want to and its heart stirring. Staring into the great wave and spin of the tornado you see beautifully spring plummed snows, blues and Ross geese in all variations of blacks, blues and grays. You quickly realize, being from Michigan, that you have been robbed of such a site your entire life. The mid-west states see a migration of sorts; but its nothing like where the Central and Mississippi flyways meet, where the hills of the of the Missouri River meet the great bottom of a wider river much since past, the corn fields seem endless and so do the birds. Where the great flocks of Canada, White fronted, Snows, Blues, and Ross geese meet the elegant flocks of water pheasant sprigs and silver backed mallards. Yes, I sit and I day dream as the sun sets over the frozen lake and I think of the times of what once was and how I had been born in the wrong era, low duck populations, low pheasant, grouse and quail populations and then I smile of the time that is and of what is coming. No, it's not too bad, lots of giant local geese, more turkeys and deer than there ever were and the best snow goose hunting to be had in the states! No, it's not to bad, soon I will be back in my warm pit or cold layout blind waiting in the dark as the cackling, whining, growling, hooting, honking, snow geese break over the trees, racing to the ground to feed or drink. Soon I will be inamongst'em once again, looking to break the record of the most birds harvested. Soon I will be straining my eyes to pick out a neck collar from a flock of thousands. Soon I will be sending my ol'dog out after the first snow of the spring season, yup soon I will be inamongst'em again; but hopefully not for the last time.
Information:
The birds start arriving in the NW corner of Missouri about the first week of Feb. and stay in huntable numbers until the end of March depending on the weather. The license is only $6 for the season and there are no dailey bag limits, or plugs needed. You may also use an electronic caller. You can do it on your own; but with high lease and decoy costs it only makes good sense to hire a guide. Rags are only a $1 a piece but you should have a good number of them and they can add up. Most guides worth there weight will be using a majority of full bodies or custom socks and the cost is just not conducive to the average hunter, but it certainly can be done for those hunters who have the time and don't mind the cost. There are also a number of public refuge area's that are open to hunting that cost nothing to hunt and private land permission is available with some homework and time. You can contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on line or by phone about when the geese are arriving and how many are on their refuge sites, they weekly counts. If you have any questions on spring snow goose hunting, I would be happy to help, you can contact me at 269.760.6219 or by e-mail at scottrobinson54@hotmail.com. So do your part for Mother Nature and get to the field this spring, before the shooting stops! |
